Wannabe Uni Academic

This is very good since it displays some of my publications which are already online:
http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=t-og9FsAAAAJ&hl=en

“ A NEW CULTURE OF LEARNING & TEACHING "

Day 1– 17 November 2013
Seminar : A New Culture of Learning And Teaching
Venue : Dewan Persidangan Utama, Kampus Kesihatan, USM

PROGRAMME
8.00 am – 8.30 am    Registration / Arrival Vice-Chancellor
08.30 am – 08.40 am    National anthem “Negaraku” and USM “Menara Ilmu”  Recital of Doa
08.55 am – 09.30 am    — Opening Ceremony and Keynote by Y. Bhg. Professor Dato’ Dr. Omar Osman / Vice Chancellor of USM

09.30 am – 09.35 am    Multimedia presentation
09.35 am – 10.20 am    Talk 1
Speaker: Professor Dr. Mohamed Amin Embi, Deputy Director (e-Learning), Centre of Academic Advancement, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

10.20 am – 10.50 am    Refreshment
10.50 am – 11.35 pm    Talk 2
Speaker: Associate Professor Dr. Aishah Abu Bakar, Winner of National Academic Award 2006  Senior Lecturer, Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya

11.35 am – 12.20 pm    Talk 3
Speaker: Associate Professor Dr. Jaafar Jantan, Winner of National Academic Award 2010
School of Physics & Material, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)

12.20 pm – 01.05 pm    Talk 4: Use It or Lose It...... A Neurocognitive Perspective on the Future of Teaching and Learning
Speaker: Professor Dr. Zalina Ismail, Coordinator of Brain Research and Information Network (BrainNetwork), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)

01.05 pm – 02.30 pm    Lunch

02.30 pm – 04.30 pm    Forum
Panelists :
—Professor Dr. Zalina Ismail
—Professor Dr. Mohamed Amin Embi
—Associate Professor Dr. Aishah Abu Bakar
—Associate Professor Dr. Jaafar Jantan

Moderator :
Dr. Nik Mohd Rizal Mohd Fakri

04.30 pm - 05.00 pm    E-Learning awards giving ceremony for the use of eLearn@USM in 2012/2013 Session

05.00 pm    Refreshment

Day 2 – 18 November 2013
Workshop : Creating Quick e-Content for Blended/Flipped Learning
Venue : Health Informatics Learning Center, Pusat Pengajian Sains Kesihatan, Kampus Kesihatan, USM

TIME     PROGRAMME
8.00 am – 8.30 am    Registration
8.45 am – 10.00 am    Essentials of Blended Learning, Flipped Learning and Web 2.0
10.00 am – 10.30 am    Refreshment
10.30 am – 12.30 pm    Using Selected e-Content Creation Tools
12.30 pm – 02.00 pm    Lunch
02.00 pm - 03.00 pm    Creating Quick Screencasting e-Content
03.00 pm – 05.00 pm    Creating Quick Animated e-Document / e-Content
05.00 pm    Refreshment


Workshop description:
In this era of ICT, many educators are now exploring blended/flipped learning environment as a way to enhance learning.
This workshop attempts to demonstrate how selected Web 2.0 tools can be utilized to create quick e-Content for blended/flipped learning environment.

Objective of workshop:
At the end of the training, participants should be able use selective quick e-content creation tools to engage university students in active learning activities within a blended/flipped learning environment.

Learning Methods:
The workshop is divided into two phases. The first slot (1/2 hour seminar) will be exploratory in nature where participants will be exposed to the concept of Blended/Flipped Learning and Web 2.0. The second slot will be fully hands-on where participants will be guided step-by-step on how to make use of selected Web 2.0 e-Content tools blended/flipped learning environment. Each participant is expected to bring along his/her own laptop (tablets should be considered as extras, not replacing laptops).

KWSP = Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja

I visited KWSP in KB today, 10 November 2013. It was my second visit. The first time I visited it was in 1990-91 when I withdrew some money to build my house.

For us academics, the pay-in is 9%:11% of our basic monthly salary. Of course the pay-in changes with pay rise. I have not followed my KWSP pay-ins for a long time simply because I did not need the money all this while and I was 'under 55'.

Now that I have passed the 55 age limit which enables me to withdraw both my KWSP funds, I was happy. But there is a catch. If I withdraw all my KWSP funds, I may have to repay the government since the withdrawal amount will include pay-in by the government as well. KWSP has no way to track what amount is government $ and what amount is owned by me. KWSP advised to write in to Bahagian Pencen and ask how much is owned by the government in my KWSP account. I decided not to go that way.

To avoid riba (usury) if I resort to borrow from commercial banks, I decided to withdraw all my KWSP and use it to renovate my old house. I listened to the KWSP officer explained and followed her advise to withdraw the entire amount and then be ready to repay the government when I turn 60.

I asked the KWSP officer if the KWSP account will be closed at all. She said no because pay-in will continue after age 60. My account will remain open till age 75. I can come in and check my account at age 75. After age 75, KWSP will still leave it open till I die. Then it will close my KWSP account.

I did not attend MPN II as I am on MC for a month following laparoscopic cholescystectomy (lap. chole.). Most of my professor friends attended MPN II, at Hotel Istana on 9-10 November 2013. I'm not overly concerned.

The MPN is great but it has no proper funds. It is hard for MPN to organise anything useful. That's as far as I know about MPN. Even though Malaysian professors are many (1,000 as of 2013), I don't see how we can contribute positively as there is no proper channel as in TV or radio programmes or workshops. Even if we are given rights to organise there is always this 'eyes' watching what we do.

Professors are mostly thinkers - all we do is we think. We are actually philosophers in addition to thinkers. We do a lot of thinking about even small insignificant things like how rats eat and mate, why the sun comes out in the west, why the moon looks funny, why we jump and scream, why we sleep, etc. Sometimes we have great ideas that get nowhere. Sometimes we have great ideas that get somewhere and the community we serve benefits but tends to forget us in the end.

Professors are the last to be asked about any issue and if they say something right but wrong in the 'eyes' of some people, then we get a warning. It is still best to speak to professors and listen to what they have to say but just ignore their views until we need to seek their ideas again.

Professors should not be used for political ends and vice versa. There is no professor in history that has become president or king. Professors are highly academic and they think like academics. They cannot think as ordinary kampung folks because of their academic mindset. It is hard to remove the academic mindset from the professors. Once a professor, always a professor.

Professors are a happy lot. Professors don't suffer from Alzheimer's Diseases (AD) as their brain is constantly being used to think. Thinking is all that they do.

Appearance-wise, male professors are usually old, bald and with a pot belly (perut boroi); female professors are either overweight and sedantary or slim and still pretty.

There is a membership card for MPN. This must be picked up from the USM Registrar's Office between 5 and 16 January 2014.

Q1. Are Malaysian pensioners happy?

I think, no.

Q2. What are some of the things that our pensioners are not happy about?

There many terrible unhappy things said about pension.

Q3. What is our current retirement and pension like?

Retirement was at 55 years, and then at 56 years. Retirement age is 60 years for Malaysians since 2013. Monthly pension is set at 40% of last monthly pay.

If a non-medical lecturer professor earns a basic pay (gaji pokok) of RM13,383.06 a month, then 40% gives a pension of RM5,353.224 a month.

Q4. Will the pensioner make it happily in her retirement age with RM5K?

I don't know but I have a gut feeling that things are getting pricier by the day and year. By the time I reach full pensionable age in 2018, things will certainly be terribly expensive than in 2013. If I live to that age, I hope my pension is sufficient and that there are mechanisms to monitor that pensioners are well looked after. If pensioner can't have enough to live on then they will become prisoners of their own difficult lives, not of their own making.

Q5. What proposition can we think about for our retirement and pension?

I think we can consider people who work at least 30 years in government service get to keep their last monthly pay as their monthly pension once they reach pensionable age at 60 years. This will mean people must start working in the government service before age 30 in order to be considered for this scheme.

Q6. Will this proposition be feasible?

I think so, yes. Prospective workers will quickly get into a government job and work hard for 30 years before they can be considered for full pay pension. It must be 30 continuous years of government service. Government servants will tend to be loyal because they can clearly see the reward at retirement.

Q7. Do you think people will like this proposition?

I think it is a great idea to be earning a full pay during retirement.

Q8. What about pension benefits for the spouse?

Spouse can get 40% pension benefits of the government pensioner. But the marriage must be accepted in Islam and cannot be a gay marriage or common law partnership.

Q9. What about pension benefits for children?

In today's family structure, couples get married very late in life, around age 30-35. Even if they get married earlier, they don't have children till much later in life, before age 40.

At age 40, many married couples will have at least a child under age 6 years (not schooling yet).

By age 50, many parents will have a child in primary school or continuing on to secondary school.

By age 60, many parents will have a child in high school or university. If a government servant dies at this age, the child is still a student and needs financial support. So the retirement plan and pension amount must take into consideration stipend for the child/student till he/she completes a first degree that probably will make the child stand a better chance of getting a job.

If the child cannot get a job in his/her 20's or 30's, then there must be a mechanism to assist the child somewhat that sort of gives a guarantee of food, shelter and safety of the government employee's children.

Q10. Is is a waste of government revenue to maintain government pensioners?

I don't think so.

Government employees are mass workers who work 8 hours daily for 5 days a week with limited annual leave (1 month) and sick leave. They don't have a second income if they are in the A division jobs, and for which they have nothing else to depend on in their retirement.

A good retirement plan and pension scheme will certainly make us happy.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/18052301?q&versionId=21186014


1989, English, Thesis edition:
Association of human apolipoproteins with artificial emulsions resembling very-low-density lipoproteins / Faridah Abdul Rashid.
Rashid, Faridah Abdul.

Bookmark: http://trove.nla.gov.au/version/21186014

Physical Description: 221 leaves.
Published: 1989.
Language: English